A Forum for Orthodox Jewish thought on Halacha, Hashkafa, and the social issues of our time.

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

The Torah is Not in Heaven

As we approach Peasch, my custom has been to post some Divrei Torah related to the Seder. I have decided to that a bit earlier this year. Feel free to use this at your Seder Table.

One of the most famous parts of the Haggadah Shel Pesach is a ‘song’ called Dayenu. Most Orthodox Jews probably know the famous tune that goes along with it. Dayenu means ‘enough!’ The song consists of a series of versus praising God by saying that even if he would have done a lesser kindness for us, it would have been enough for us. Each continuing stanza is an ‘improvement’ over the last one, which culminates in the ultimate kindness of building the Beis HaMikdash.

There are many questions about this song. One of the more famous ones is about the the following stanza:

Had God brought us to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah, that too would have been enough.

The question arises, Really? It would have been enough for us just to go to that famous mountain and not been given the Torah??? That would have been enough for us? What would that have accomplished? Of what value is going to Mount Sinai without receiving the Torah? Isn’t the Torah what Judaism is all about? Wasn’t that the entire purpose of our Exodus from Egypt?

There are many answers to this question.

Rav Velvel Soloveitchik - the Brisker Rav - answers that indeed the experience of Har Sinai instilled Yiras Shamayim - the awesomeness of God casuing us to have great reverence for Him. That alone – even without the Torah - is a very high religious level of achievement for us. We give gratitude to God for imbuing us with this realization. Of course the Torah gives us even more as it gives us a means to express that gratitude.
Nice P’shat.

But my personal favorite is the answer given by Rav Yechiel Mechel Epstein – the Aruch HaShulchan. There is a famous Gemarah in Bava Metzia (59a) that tells the story of a great dispute between R’ Eliezer and R’ Yehoshua. It was a dispute aout whether a special type of oven called the Tanur Achnai was considered ritually pure. R’ Eliezer held it was not pure. R’ Yehoshua who represented the majority opinion said it was pure. R’ Eliezer was so sure that his view was the correct one that he actually called upon God to mediate the dispute. Immediately a Bas Kol (a Heavenly voice)came down from Heaven and declared R’ Eliezer to be right.

R’ Yehoshua thereupon stood up and declared, “Lo BaShamyim He!” “The Torah is not in Heaven!” “We do not listen to ‘voices’ from Heaven!”

“God in his infinite mercy gave the Torah to man and gave us rules about how to decide matters of dispute in Halacha.” “In matters like this, the majority rules. My position is that of the majority. Hence we ignore God’s imprimatur of your view and follow the majority.”

So strongly was R’ Yehoshua’s admonition of R’ Eliezer that he excommunicated him for the rest of his life!

That God could have told us His laws via Ruach HaKodesh at Mount Sinai - that would have been sufficient. But that he gave us the ability to decide questions in Halacha for ourselves using the rules of exegesis and is willing to accept our decisions as right even when they are ‘wrong’ (as the case of Tanur Achnai shows) that is the most precious gift of all.

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About Me

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.